There Was One Ostrich
by LadyMikiri
Summary: At first, Kakashi was just glad his team would be allowed to participate in the chunin exams. Now he might even be happy it turned out this way. Circumstances allow Kakashi to reconnect with some old teammates.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: An intro story of sorts for mine and my friend's oc's. It'll focus mostly on Kakashi and his interactions. As always, enjoy! Or at least try not to suffer.

* * *

Kakashi breathed a littler easier internally. The argument with Iruka had been anticipated. He knew Naruto's old sensei cared greatly about Naruto and the other genin. That concern was, however, passed its expiration date in a sense. Iruka had not seen the great progress his former students had made. They were ready for the chunin exams; Kakashi was sure of it. He didn't believe they would be promoted, but he knew participating in them was necessary for his team. It was something they had to do.

And now they could. With the extra test proposed by the Hokage, Iruka would get a glimpse of his former student's progress. They would pass easily and continue on to this next major milestone. Kakashi was glad the Third had supported him on this. He could relax now and listen to the names of the other genin who would be participating in the exams.

"Lord Hokage, I respect Kakashi's decision to enter his team, but should the nine tails even be allowed to compete? Doesn't he pose a danger to the other contestants? If he should lose control during the course of the exam, none of the genin would be able to stop him. Are we really confortable subjecting our best rising genin to an unnecessary danger such as him?" The objection had come from one of the jonin leaders. Kakashi couldn't remember his name but had a vague feeling of dislike for the man. Well here goes another argument.

"While there is always a chase Naruto will lose control, it's very unlikely. He's been in battle situations without the ninetails appearing. He's unpredictable, but he's not a bomb with a hair trigger. A moment of conflict will not cause him to lose control. The danger to the other competitors will come from the exams themselves, not Naruto," Kakashi stated, bored with the continued ignorance of the village towards Naruto.

"You cannot guarantee the safety of my team when it is related to the nine tails."

"If you're worried about guaranteeing the safety of your team, perhaps they should not be participating in these exams," Kakashi responded coolly.

The other jonin looked offended for a moment before opening his mouth to respond. Before he could, the Hokage spoke up. "If Naruto posed a danger to the other students, I would not have allowed him to enter the academy in the first place. Preventing him entrance to these exams based solely on the presence of the nine tails inside him would be a disservice not only to the rest of his team, but also to this village."

Another jonin spoke this time, "But we have no way of knowing the extent of his control over the nine tails chakra. Were he to lose control at a point when the students are separated from the proctors, everyone including his own teammates may be killed."

Kakashi could sense the shift in opinion going around the room. Yet another began to speak, "The exams are dangerous, yes, but no previous exams have included a threat as great as the one the nine tails poses. We cannot in good conscience send our teams into battle against an enemy they have no hope of defeating. It's sending them to the slaughter."

"You are all speaking as though the nine tails is guaranteed to appear," Kakashi began, irritation clear in his voice. "Sending genin to battle the nine tails would be a suicide mission, but Naruto is not the nine tails. He is a student just the same as all the other competitors. He is a person-not the nine tails."

"He may be a person, but he is the nine tails. He-"

"Enough." The Hokage sounded tired as well. "Naruto will be competing provided he progresses through the exams the same as everyone else. I will add extra security measures that pertain specifically to Naruto and the slim possibility that the nine tails will appear. I will personally guarantee the nine tails poses no threat to the students who participate in the exams." The Third spoke with such a note of finality that no one raised another objection.

" _Thank you, Lord Hokage"_ Kakashi thought. Yet again he was grateful for the backing of the Hokage. He knew Naruto would not be competing if the Hokage had not believed in him. He'd have to thank the Hokage in person as soon as this meeting was done.

Kakashi listened boredly to the rest of the names recommended. Finally, with a few last words, the meeting was adjourned and people began to file out. "Kakashi," the Hokage said in his quiet voice. He motioned for Kakashi to come speak with him.

Kakashi spoke first. "Thank you, Lord Hokage. Without your support, Naruto wouldn't be competing."

The Hokage took a deep breathe. "I know. I had hoped the more experienced shinobi would be above the ignorance that plagues the rest of the villagers, but it appears not."

"What did you have in mind?" Kakashi inquired.

"That's why I asked you to wait a moment. I wanted to assure you I have an idea I believe you will also approve of. Would you return here in 3 hours to discuss it further?"

"Of course, Lord Hokage."

...

"Well if it isn't the old man, " an ANBU stated as she waltzed into the room. Despite the mask, Kakashi recognized her immediately.

"Leyco, you may remove your mask," the Hokage motioned for her to have a seat on one of the mats in front of him.

Leyco removed it with her left hand and tossed it to the side. It disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"That's a new trick, " Kakashi commented.

"Yeah, I copied it from Mikiri's little wind vanishing trick. Got tired of her being the only one that could do it and mine looks cooler anyways cause it has smoke. Bigger things use fire which is obviously superior to a cute little breeze," Leyco stated.

Kakashi laughed. He was glad to see Leyco hadn't changed much since he had last seen her. She was older and taller of course, but still the same old Leyco. "How long's it been?"

Leyco looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "I have no idea. Mikiri's the one that's good with details." She turned to address the Hokage, "I take it we're waiting on Mikiri? She was supposed to be returning yesterday or today, right?"

"Yes, she sent word yesterday. She should be arriving any minute now. I must warn you, I promised her time off after this mission. It's been a long and quite frustrating one for her. But this mission is something of a favor to Kakashi and should not be difficult at all so I imagine she will still accept it. I-" a knock came at the door.

Immediately Leyco hopped up, grabbed Kakashi by the arm, and dragged him to the corner behind the door. "I want to see her face when she sees you."

The Hokage just smiled, accustomed to Leyco's antics. "Enter."

The door opened and through it came Mikiri. Her traveling cloak was dirtier than Leyco was used to seeing it. Leyco waited for Mikiri to sense the two of them in the corner and turn, but she never did.

"It's good to see you back, Mikiri."

Mikiri nodded once, "Good to be home." She removed her mask.

"I would like to postpone the discussion of the information you retrieved until tomorrow. Instead, I have another mission I'd like to discuss. Would you mind staying?"

Mikiri paused for a moment. She clearly had not anticipated discussing another mission so soon after returning. It seemed duty won out, however, when Mikiri moved to sit down. "Of course, but I had thought I would have a bit of a break after this one. Will it be starting immediately?"

"Yes, but I do not anticipate this one being difficult. You will not even have to leave the village." The Third motioned for Leyco and Kakashi. "Would you two please join us?"

Mikiri started a little and turned. She smiled as soon as she recognized the two. "Why am I not surprised the first time I see you in over a year you're hiding in a corner?"

"It wasn't my idea."

"Even less surprised." Leyco grinned and took the mat to the left of Mikiri while Kakashi took the right. "The mission involves these two and does not require leaving the village? I'm both interested and a bit afraid."

"You should be," the Hokage chuckled. "You are familiar with Naruto Uzumaki?"

"That spastic orange creature that likes to cause as much hell as possible?" Mikiri asked skeptically.

"Please tell me Mikiri has to babysit him," Leyco looked to see Mikiri's reaction to that idea. It was as expected.

"Exactly. And you are to help her Leyco," the Third stated it so matter of factly that both girls did nothing but stare at him for a moment.

"I'm sorry. I can't tell if you're serious, Lord Hokage." Mikiri had a sinking feeling he was not joking in the slightest.

"I'm entirely serious. He will be entering the chunin exams and some are worried he may lose control of the nine tails under the stress of the exams. You are to enter as contestants and ensure that should he lose control, the other students are not injured."

"You can't be serious." That seemed to be the only thought Leyco could form.

"Last I was here, he had not even graduated the Academy. He somehow is now ready for the chunin exams. He must have had one hell of a sensei-" Mikiri turned to Kakashi. "Of course. I can't believe you actually passed a team. But I suppose being Minato's kid it wasn't like you would pass up the opportunity to teach him."

"Actually, his team passed solely on their own merit. They are far from perfect, but I played no favorites."

"I know you wouldn't do that, but still." Mikiri processed it for a moment. "So you finally have a genin team. How's the great Copy Ninja liking chasing down stray cats?"

Kakashi chuckled at that. "It hasn't been only stray cats. There was one ostrich."

"I'd have paid to see that." Mikiri went to continue but began to yawn. "Excuse me, sorry. Maybe we could postpone catching up until tomorrow. We're really being assigned to babysitting duty?"

"Yes, though I wouldn't call it that in the report. You are to remain near Kakashi's team and provide an extra level of security for all contestants should something go amiss. Due to your ages you will be able to operate as though you were also genin participating in the exams. However, you will not be interfering with the progress of the other teams. All precautions to prevent you from hindering the other teams will be taken."

"Speaking of teams, Mikiri and I only add up to two people last I checked. Who will be assigned with us?"

"No one. A fake identity will be created for which one of you will provide a clone. Some parts of the exams will not require you to be seen with all three members of your team. Tomorrow we will discuss each aspect of the exams and plan accordingly. I'm sorry Kakashi, but we must wait until you are not present to discuss information that could give your team an unfair advantage."

"I understand."

"Who else is on your team?" Mikiri inquired.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha."

"The last Uchiha," Leyco mused. Mikiri remained silent. "Quite the team you've got there. I've never heard of the girl, but still a jinjuriki and an Uchiha, you've got your work cut out for you."

"As do we, but it can wait until morning. Mikiri, Leyco, return here tomorrow morning to discuss the details of this mission further. Also, I understand it has been some time since the three of you have seen each other, but because you two are to be average genin, you can't be seen around the village with Kakashi. I recommend also leaving this office as two separate groups. Do you have any questions before we adjourn?"

All three shook their heads. "You guys can leave first. I'd like to speak with the Hokage before I leave. Thank you both again for this."

"No problem, Hatake."

"See ya, old man" Leyco and Mikiri bowed to the Hokage and excited. As they were walking to their shared home, Leyco spoke up. "You seem more tired than usual. Was the mission that difficult?"

At first the only response she got was a long groan. Eventually Mikiri just shrugged her shoulders. "It's not that it was especially difficult. It just... I gathered tons and tons of information but not a single bit of it is viable. I can't see the connections between any of it, and I've got the worst feeling that by the time I can, it will already be too late. I spent a year not existing, and I have piles of work to show for it and yet nothing at all."

"So it's a problem you can't solve and you've been thinking about it non stop for a year. I'm surprise you still have some semblance of sanity."

"Don't speak to soon."

Leyco noted Mikiri's tone. She was sure Mikiri had meant it only to be a meaningless response, but she had let something else slip into it. "What you thinking about now?"

"I'm probably just tired and been hiding in the shadows away from people too long."

"And?" Leyco wasn't going to let this one go. She had a feeling she knew what it was about.

"And I-"

Mikiri was searching for the right words. Leyco decided to provide them, "you looked at Kakashi a bit differently."

"Was it that obvious?" Mikiri hung her head. "I was tired and you guys caught me way by surprise. I'm not used to others being in there when I return."

"I don't think it was obvious. I only noticed cause, in case you didn't know, we've known each other for a while."

"Yeah and Kakashi's known me almost as long." They'd arrived. Mikiri entered the door as Leyco followed. Mikiri plopped down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. "I'm supposed to be a spy, and I can't even keep a neutral expression."

"Well like I said, I'm pretty sure he didn't notice."

"Yeah the freaking Kakashi of the Sharingan didn't notice I was looking at him like a schoolgirl."

"You really didn't notice either? He didn't notice because he was too busy doing the exact same thing."

"What?"

"You two are the dumbest geniuses I've ever met. Yeah, he was. You've always acted like an adult, but you look the part now if you know what I mean. It wasn't a creepy vibe though." Leyco added quickly. "It was more like he'd never seen you quite like that."

Mikiri turned to search Leyco's face. "You weren't even facing him. How could you possibly have inferred all that?" She questioned skeptically.

Leyco rolled her eyes. "You know how well you can read people in fights and on missions? I can do that in everyday social situations. It's a special talent, I know."

"I'm too tired to think about all this." Mikiri lay her head back on the couch and put her arm over her eyes.

"Hey, hey, no. You are not sleeping on the couch. You'll wake up in the morning and your neck will hurt and you'll be even more unpleasant than usual. Bed, now." Leyco shooed Mikiri down the hall to her room.

"You're a pain sometimes."

"The words you're looking for are thank and you."

"Whatever." Mikiri mumbled as she fell face down into her bed. Leyco rolled her eyes as she shut Mikiri's door.

...

Kakashi allowed himself to smile as he left the Hokage's office. Some of his best work had been accomplished with his ANBU team when Mikiri had been a part of it. It would be interesting to watch her pretend to be a genin. Either way when it was all over, he hoped he got the chance to catch up with Mikiri. And Leyco, of course. He pretended he didn't know why he had forgotten about Leyco.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Time for the written test. Unfortunately, Kakashi, Mikiri, and Leyco are mostly separate for this part, but they will interact more in the next chapters. Let me know what you think. Feedback is greatly appreciated!

* * *

"I couldn't have asked for a better team. Good luck."

"We won't let you down, sensei! Believe it!" Naruto yelled, enthusiasm unending as always. Kakashi watched his team enter the room to begin the exams. He truly was glad they had all shown up as one, unified team. Maybe he had taught them something after all.

As the door shut behind them, he heard another team making their way down the hall. A redhead looking no older than 15 and two more girls that appeared to be his team's age. So that was the clone member of Mikiri's team. Dark hair, dark eyes, skin not as tan as Leyco's but nowhere near as pale as Mikiri's. Kakashi almost laughed remembering the time Mikiri had gotten sunburn from falling asleep on top of a building. She had been waiting for Leyco who had been sidetracked, leaving Mikiri to snooze on the roof for hours. Kakashi had been the one to wake her; she had been unusually late to team training. Mikiri had been furious; that is, until she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a window. She had stared for a minute, then burst out laughing. Mikiri and Leyco never stayed mad at each other for long. It was one of the things Kakashi had respected most about them. Teamwork came naturally to the two.

Or perhaps, three, counting the clone. He wondered who was controlling it right now. He knew from experience they could switch control back and forth effortlessly. Either way it didn't matter. He started down the corridor. They passed each other halfway. Mikiri did a slight, polite bow to Kakashi, as though he were any other shinobi who outranked her. Leyco came next and repeated the action. Then came the clone, who winked at him. So it was Mikiri controlling it. He just nodded at each in turn, pretending he hadn't noticed the clone's action.

He heard the door to the room open behind him and through it, the sounds of his most spirited student.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna beat every last one of ya! Believe it!"

Kakashi chuckled to himself and glanced over his shoulder. Mikiri, who was holding the door open for the others, met his gaze. Her smirk mirrored his, and she raised her eyebrows as if acknowledging this might be a bit more difficult than the Hokage let on.

Kakashi shrugged in response and turned to go join the rest of the jonin in the lounge while they awaited news on their teams.

...

Leyco and the rest of her team stood off to the side, watching Kakashi's team make absolute idiots of themselves. Or as Sakura had eloquently put it, "jackasses."

Leyco's nose picked up the chakra flare as Mikiri sensed it. Three sound ninja were rapidly approaching the rookies gathered around the door. Sharing a look, Leyco and Mikiri agreed not to interfere. Instead, a guy with glasses was first to react. " _Kabuto,"_ Mikiri recalled from the files they had memorized. The guy had managed to compete in the exams multiple times and had never been promoted. _If Kabuto wasn't good enough to make chunin, why did he have such a unique chakra signature?_ they both thought. He was hiding it well, but both Leyco and Mikiri could sense something more than a genin behind those glasses.

Kabuto dodged the punch thrown at him, but a second later his glasses broke. While the rest of those present looked on in confusion, Mikiri leaned towards Leyco. "Sound waves?" she questioned quietly. Leyco nodded in affirmation.

A moment later, Kabuto went to his knees, choking up blood. Leyco spoke to Mikiri, her eyes never leaving the figure on the ground, "He allowed that to happen."

"Yep, he's faster than that. He was holding back. You think it's just a clever way to get enemies to underestimate him or something more?"

Leyco brought her gaze to Mikiri's. "I'm sure it's just a clever ruse," she said lightheartedly.

"Probably," Mikiri smiled. That was the best thing about working with someone for so long. You knew exactly what they meant no matter what words they used.

Smoke accompanied a loud explosion at the front of the room. "All right you babyfaced degenerates! Pipe down and listen up!" The smoke cleared, revealing a scary looking man and many uniform clad proctors. "It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor. And from this moment, your worst nightmare."

Mikiri tried not to scoff. Not that Ibiki wasn't intimidating; Mikiri hoped she never found herself on the wrong side of his interrogation table, but she wondered how wary the genin would be if they actually knew him. Man could bake a mean cupcake.

Ibiki got everyone into their spots and laid down the rules. From their seats, they had eyes on all the members of Kakashi's team. It was time to begin. Mikiri watched Team 7 for a few more moments, then glanced towards Leyco. It seemed she had already started on her test, and Mikiri had better get started on hers. They may have not been competing in the exams for real, but if Kakashi's team made it to the next round, they had to as well.

She picked up the test. Ibiki had designed this portion of the exams, and he was a bit of a sadist. Mikiri liked him. He was one of the few that knew Mikiri and Leyco weren't a genin, but he knew to pretended otherwise. Since this was Ibiki, it was all about mind games. The student had to cheat, that much was obvious, but there had to be something more. The last question, of course. So whoever stayed and listened to the last question would make it to the end, and that question would probably carry huge consequences. See who's willing to accept a mission when the risks far outweighed the reward. Clever.

But that was just a guess. She could be wrong. It was Ibiki's style, but was she willing to risk not bothering with the first questions? If she failed, the Hokage could simply advance her to the next round, but Leyco would never let her hear the end of it if she failed the very first part of the chunin exams; nor would Kakashi, for that matter. So, what would it be?

In answer to herself, Mikiri started to draw a rough sketch of Ibiki on fire as her answer to number 1. The Hokage was going to kill her if she screwed this up just to prove she was right to herself. It was a risk she was willing to take, however, so she continued her artwork.

The genin were dropping like flies as the time ran on. Leyco had finished long ago and was sitting, waiting for the final question. Mikiri was still hard at work on her masterpiece.

...

"It's quiet without the rookies around. I almost miss them," Kakashi remarked.

Asuma chuckled, "Don't worry. Chances are they'll be back again sooner than you think."

"Why's that?"

"I heard that their first examiner this year is Ibiki."

Kakashi felt a bit of chagrin at that name. _So already their chances of passing look iffy._ "Great," he said aloud, "sticking them with that sadist right off the bat."

"Huh? What sadist?" Kurenai asked.

"I forgot you're a new jonin, Kurenai. Otherwise you wouldn't have to ask," Asuma smirked.

" _Yeah right, Asuma. You forgot something about Kurenai like I forgot where I put my Make Out Paradise,"_ Kakashi thought, barely containing his eyeroll. He watched as Kurenai was unfazed. "He's what you might call a specialist," he offered.

Asuma continued to answer Kurenai's query in the most roundabout way. Kakashi's thoughts drifted to his team. Sakura and Sasuke would likely manage against Ibiki's exam, whatever form it took, but Naruto was a different case. There was the chance that Naruto would be too dense for Ibiki's particular tactics to work. His team might stand a chance that way.

If his team made it, Mikiri and Leyco would have to advance too. They'd no doubt be able to see through Ibiki's games. They both had a talent for mind games, albeit in very different ways. Mind games with Leyco ended with you no longer mentally stable and wondering if the wall was actually talking to you or not. With Mikiri, you left thinking you were wrong and knew nothing about anything, even if your point had been that you knew your own name.

If the two of them took it seriously, they'd be fine. The only real worry for them would be overconfidence. Not that he had ever known them to be cocky. Never. He'd also never known Sasuke to brood and Naruto to yell.

He supposed all that mattered in the end was his team passing. He'd just have to hope it worked out.

...

With 15 minutes to go, Ibiki was explained the last question. With a small sigh of relief, Mikiri confirmed her guess. It all rested on this question. Now, how would team 7 respond?

Sakura and Sasuke seemed pretty calm, but Naruto. That kid was going to have himself an aneurysm. Wait, was he raising his hand to quit? Kakashi and the Third both had warned that the kid was more likely to push himself too far than give up. Perhaps they'd been wrong. Oh dear, he slammed his hand on the desk. Maybe it was an aneurysm. No, it appears he's giving a speech.

" _I would have killed to see the first time he and Kakashi interacted,"_ Mikiri thought. Leyco turned to Mikiri and raised an eyebrow. She found it amusing too. Once Naruto finished it was clear the speech had strengthened the resolve of the others present as well. With a chuckle, Ibiki informed those left that they had passed. The responses were a bit more confused than she had expected. Did that many really not understand the point of this exam? It wasn't important, however, because a chakra signature was rapidly approaching the room. Mikiri recognized it as Anko and wondered if she had a special way to open the window. She didn't. With a loud crash and an unnecessary amount of fishnet, Anko appeared.

Leyco and Mikiri shared one more look. " _So round 2 it is,"_ Mikiri thought. The real part of their mission was about to begin- The Forest of Death.


End file.
